Broken in the Oddest of Places
by fingerpaint-the-sky
Summary: Clary is at the top of her world. She's finally found her place. And then she meets a boy. Rated M for alcohol use, and probably other stuff ((It used to be Cliques and Cliches))
1. Chapter 1

I would love to be able to begin with a strange alternative backstory. But the fact of the matter is, I'm a rather ordinary girl. I pretend to hate my parents but I secretly love them, I live for and through music, I'm a decently smart student, and I have a method of escapism. I am what many would call an artist, but I try to be so much more than that. I try to see into the souls of others, I try to be a creator. I've always preferred that term, "creator". If I'm anything, that's how I'd describe myself. But I'm afraid I digress. After all, I am trying to tell a story here.

Like I said, I'm not much. I have a group of friends, I have one brother (can I get a "statistically average"?) who is a part of said friend group, and I have a school. I suppose this is the part where I describe Idris. I'm new to this storytelling thing, bear with me. Idris is full of a diverse group of characters, and against all odds, I'm in the clique at the top. It's a boarding school, but we're usually free to come and go as we please. It's a rather hippie school. The teachers are all out there, using very experimental teaching methods. Luckily, they seem to work. There is a curfew, but the teachers are big softies and all you have to do is find a good excuse. They'll fall for "oh I'm so sorry I was visiting my parents and we lost track of time, they wanted to make sure that I came back so I didn't miss any class!" It's sad, almost.

So that pretty much gives you some context, let me walk you through my life now. My average morning starts early, when some indie pop song begins to play from my roommate's alarm. She gets up groggily, the only time she doesn't look perfect (and when she's drunk, but that's beside the point). Her eyes are a peculiar almost black color. Her features are perfect, from her almond eyes, to her regal high cheekbones, perfectly porcelain skin accentuating every bit of her. She's tall and slim, but of course has "all the right curves in all the right places". I swear I'm straight, this is just what my artist mind does. It analyzes things it sees in the world. Isabelle Is my best friend, and she's probably the reason I'm known around the school. People listen to her, and they want to be around her.

"Clary, get up! You promised me you'd start looking cute today!" Isabelle bursts out of our shared bathroom, her raven black hair pin straight. She was dressed simply, for Iz. Black skinny jeans, a tight red top that would've made made my face rival it in color, and high red heels. Her makeup matched perfectly, a smokey eye with a dramatic winged eyeliner and cherry red lips.

"I don't like your chances," I mumble into my pillow.

"Clare, I can do absolutely anything. You remember that freshman Maureen?"

I made a face involuntarily, "How could I forget?"

"Yeah, well, back when she was obsessed with Simon, I knew the only way to get her away from us would be to get her someone else. And I taught her how to dress herself and what do you know? She landed a mildly attractive junior! And you are a much less hopeless cause now get up I got up extra early just to make this work. Please?"

I sit up, feeling to haze around my head of my red knotted up curls. I see Izzy's eyes widen fractionally as she took in her canvas. "Well, we'd better get started!" she somehow manages to be cheerful. I just groan.

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><p>When I see the school my face contorts into an expression of disgust. There are too many pastels, too many murals. It looks like a fucking elementary school. There is no way in hell I could be at the right place. My hopes are dashed when I see two students walking from what I gather to be the dorms over to the main building. The two are girls, and both of them are absolutely stunning. One is tall and sexy as fuck, and clearly knows it. She has this long black hair, and a face that matches her perfectly. Sharp, yet fine. The other looks to be her opposite, red curls spilling everywhere, yet I have a feeling they usually aren't as tame as they are now. This one is surprisingly the one that catches me, her petite form working to her advantage. They're getting closer, and I can see her bright green eyes, offset by the black lace dress she's wearing. The dress is cut in a way that doesn't hug her figure all the way down, which I'm thankful for. I don't think that I'd be able to handle it if it was. I realize how long I've been staring and mentally chastise myself. Great way to make a first impression. Before I'm aware, they've reached me.<p>

The tall girl is looking me up and down, and I can't say I blame her. I almost want to interrupt whatever is going on in her head by telling her that it's even better without the clothes. I probably would've, but for some reason I can't bring myself to in front of the shy redhead. She looks up at my face, her cheeks an endearing shade of pink. No not endearing, who says endearing? I don't even know her. Her mouth opens and I already know where I want that mouth.

She speaks softly and with a sort of wonder, her voice full of curiosity and trepidation. "Hi."

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><p>Hi guys, this is my first mulitichapter fic so bear with me, sorry about the technicial difficulites between the POVs, I don't have Word atm and I'm copypasting, I will try my hardest


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N) Thanks to everyone who has been reading this and reviewing and favoriting and following, here is the second chapter, please review/favorite/follow it would make my day **

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><p>I'm studying this golden lion, positive his eyes are trained on Isabelle. I don't ever have a problem with it, but I feel an unfamiliar pang of jealousy when I sneak a glance at his improbably golden eyes and see that they are, in fact, checking Iz out. No surprise there. I continue to study him, thanking the good Lord that women don't get boners. I've never seen such a beautiful person, someone so captivating. Izzy is staring at the boy, the boy suddenly seems uninterested. My eyes lift to meet his, and a word tumbles out of my mouth before I can stop it. "Hi." My voice is breathy and unsure, full of tones that come out of nowhere.<p>

He's looking at me knowingly. What the hell does he think he knows? Out of nowhere I'm angry, gotta love them hormones. His voice is low, and he makes words sound like music, "Hello there, I'm new here and was hoping someone could point me in the direction of the office?"

He doesn't seem to care much as he stares at me as I try to direct him there. "Oh hell with it," I glance at my watch, I have plenty of time. "I'll just take you there myself." He smiles, a chip in his tooth peeking out. Well I guess none of us can be perfect, I have to restrain myself from rolling my eyes.

"Sounds like a plan," he grins an infernal grin that promises sin. Wait no, that doesn't make any sense. I don't even know him, much less what his facial expressions mean.

"Hey Iz," she doesn't seem to hear me, so I try louder, "Iz! Yeah hi, nice of you to join us. Why don't you go meet everyone so they don't think we passed out from all of your damn perfume? You know that Jon already worries about me too much." I turn back to the lion, he's just staring at me. "Shall we?" I gesture with my head. He looks up and nods, ready to start his first day I guess. That's probably why he doesn't look excited.

He grabs a black backpack out of his sleek black car, and locks it, pocketing his keys. We start down the path, and I become acutely aware of just how tall he is. Seriously, he's a giant. But when you're this close to five feet everyone kind of is. I start to make conversation, suddenly unable to breathe under the weight of the silence, "So what's your name?"

"Jace Herondale, and yours?"

"Clary Morgenstern," I reply, the surname as always feeling heavy and uncomfortable in my mouth. It's just never felt right.

"Pretty name, Clary," Jace looks directly at me, and I feel bare in front of him. He sees every bit of me, and I hate it. He doesn't even know me. Who is he to judge me? This Jace is getting to me, in a way I wish he wouldn't. "So how old are you, Clary?"

I just turned sixteen, I'm a sophomore. What grade are you Jace?" I refuse to meet his eyes. I get a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach whenever our eyes meet. I just don't feel like I'm in control.

"I'm seventeen, a junior." I can feel his eyes on me.

"Oh I can introduce you to my brother, Jon. He's your age…" I trail off, mostly just to see if Jace is listening.

"Oh, Jon's your brother," if I'm not mistaken, that was relief in his voice. But why would he be relieved to find out that Jon is my brother?

"Yeah, what did you think he was?"

"Nothing," Jace is quick to reply, and I have a feeling that a wall has gone up. "So tell me about this new school."

"Well," I pause, unsure what to say. How does one describe Idris? "It's totally a hippie school, we don't even have grades. Pretty much everyone passes, and because tuition is so high, this school can afford to lie. We're the children who will inherit the world, so we'll get into college without an issue. The teachers couldn't care less, they just want the money and the title. You have to show up, and do some work, and just pass the standardized tests, but all of us can do that easily. And the reason I say it that way is because I can see that you're in the same boat we all are. We're hidden so we can't fuck up in the public eye. Don't worry, we have an ok time here." At that, I'm out of breath and we've reached the office.

He turns to me, obviously processing everything I just told him. He grabs my hand when I turn to leave. His eyes beg me to stay. Before he can speak, the words fall out, just like they always do, "I'll introduce you to the principal, she really likes me and then you can meet my friends."

I barely hear his sigh of relief, but it's just loud enough to confirm my earlier suspicions. "Thank you, for all of this."

"Don't mention it." I offer him a small smile. It's hard to get the confirmation that your parents don't care about you. Unfortunately, it's one that all of us have experienced. At least we can visit whenever we want. Some parents always "forget" to tell their kids when they're at home from working.

Hodge's face lights up when he sees me. From everything I've heard, he never leaves this school. Talk about a dedication to your job. He looks over at Jace, and he furrows his brow for a second before it smooths. "You must be the new student, Jonathan Herondale. Welcome to Idris. I see you've met our little Clary here." he looks over at me again, his eyes crinkled in a smile. Hodge truly is like a father to us. "I trust she can show you around. Here is your schedule, and just so you know, this isn't a normal school. We do not use the traditional grading system, and we try to use alternative teaching methods. You will be staying in a dorm, and you will be adhering to all of the rules of both the school and the dormitory. That includes curfew, but Clary can fill you in on all of that. Welcome to Idris, I hope you like it."

I lead Jace out of the small building and a river of rich delinquents flows past us. This might look weird. I turn to look at him, and his eyes are wide for a second. Maybe he's not as ready for Idris as he seems to think. "You ready for your first day? Jace just scoffs at me and nods. I turn around, not bothering to look if he's following. I know he is. I have a feeling Jace will fit in just fine here.


End file.
